1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the communications field, and in particular to an interaction of an electronic reading device with an address pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous devices exist for accepting user input and controlling user interaction with desktop and portable computers, personal digital assistance (PDAs), mobile phones, and other types of electronic devices. For example, a keyboard can be used to accept typed input and other types of commands, a mouse or a track-ball can be used to provide relative motion input as well as various types of point-and-click selections, a keypad can be used to provide input of numerical data and functional commands, navigational keys can be used for scrolling lists or otherwise repositioning a cursor, and various types of touchpads or touchscreens can be used to provide absolute positional coordinate inputs. Each type of mechanism for accepting input and for supporting user interaction has benefits and disadvantages in terms of size, convenience, flexibility, responsiveness, and easy of use. Generally, the selection of a particular type of input mechanism is dependent upon the function of the application and the degree and type of interaction required.
With the ever expanding capabilities and availability of applications both on the Internet and the area of wireless technology, there continues to be a need to develop and provide new mechanisms for accepting input and interacting with users. In particular, some of the existing technologies suffer from drawbacks or limitations, such as size and flexibility, that make them impractical and/or inconvenient to use in some situations. By expanding the range of mechanisms for supporting user interaction, application developers and end-users can have greater flexibility in the selection of input devices. Preferably, any such new mechanisms will provide increased flexibility and will maximize user convenience. In addition, the development of new mechanisms for interacting with users can expand the realm of potential applications.
For example, while a keyboard typically provides a great deal of flexibility, particularly when it is used in connection with a mouse, a touchscreen, or other navigational device, its size makes it inconvenient in many cases, especially in the wireless context.
The present invention comprises a method and system for monitoring moving parts. The method and system uses an electronic reading device to detect an adjacent portion of an address pattern. One of the address pattern and the electronic reading device is connected to a moving part in a predetermined manner. Using the detected portion of the address pattern and a known format of the overall address pattern, a processor can determine a current position of the moving part. The position information can further be used to measure distances between the current position and a known or previously detected position or to measure a rotation angle or number of rotations for a rotational element.
In another embodiment of the invention, the address pattern can be included on a surface of a mechanical part that is subjected to stress. By detecting a distortion in the address pattern, a deformation of the mechanical part can be identified.